


Parenting and Other Catastrophes

by corikane



Series: Teenage Bounty Hunters - series 1 [12]
Category: Teenage Bounty Hunters (TV)
Genre: Family Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27389710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corikane/pseuds/corikane
Summary: Having children, like having parents, is not always easy.
Relationships: Blair Wesley & Anderson Wesley, Blair Wesley & Sterling Wesley, Debbie Wesley & Sterling Wesley
Series: Teenage Bounty Hunters - series 1 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916662
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Writing is slow going with everything that's going on and the show having been canceled. I just hope y'all holding up all right, taking care of yourself. Enjoy.

Sterling stared unseeingly out the car window, lost in her thoughts about her first therapy session. She was going over things she'd said, wondering whether she should have been so open, whether she would live to regret it.

"So," Debbie's voice roused her in its grating too-chipper tone. "How was it?"

"It was... different than I expected."

"How so?"

Sterling looked at Debbie who seemed concentrated on traffic but somehow Sterling didn't buy it. Debbie was nervous about this, she was nervous about what Sterling had told a complete stranger about their family.

"It was more mature. It actually helps to talk things over with a person who's not invested in our drama," she answered, hoping to hit some sensitive spots.

"Well," Debbie said. Her voice sounded too high. "As long as it helps." She gave Sterling a smile.

"You can say that you don't like it."

"No, why would I... I..." Debbie took a deep breath. "This is not about me, Sterling. It's about what you need. Does the fact that our... drama gets revealed to a stranger make me uncomfortable? Yes, it does. But I guess I just have to trust that it will all be okay, that you're getting help and that that helps all of us."

"Hm," Sterling made. She wouldn't have thought that Debbie would be this open or mature about this whole thing but it suited her. Maybe this would actually change things for the better.

"I told her about all that happened that night, and about Blair and I bounty hunting," she said probingly.

Debbie nodded. "I thought you would."

"Dana isn't my mother."

This made Debbie look over, tears seemed to be brimming behind her eyes and she quickly looked back at the road.

Sterling turned back to the window.

"Would you... Are you hungry?" Debbie asked after a little while.

"I could eat," Sterling answered only just noticing that she was indeed hungry. She'd had very little to eat that day with the anticipation of therapy hanging over her.

"Would you like to go eat at that little Italian place maybe? Blair and Anderson had yesterday's left-overs."

"Yeah, sure," Sterling said, trying to quench her excitement. The 'little Italian place' was her favorite and a treat and Debbie totally knew that.

"Great." Debbie engaged her signal and made a turn. They drove in silence until they arrived at their destination, both seemingly content with how they were handling this day, this situation so far.

* * *

After they'd ordered, there was an awkward pause descending on their table. Sterling bit her lip. There were things she wanted to talk about with Debbie, things she'd pushed away these last few weeks.

"How's school then?" Debbie asked, probably at a loss as to what else to talk about. School seemed safe enough for her, Sterling assumed.

"It's okay. I'm thinking of forming a study group before finals, with Blair, of course, and a few others."

"That sounds sensible."

Sterling nodded.

The waitress came with their ice teas and some Italian bread in a basket. "I'll be right back with the cutlery," she assured them and walked off again.

"I was wondering about something and I know you don't like to talk about... money matters with us but... are you guys ending membership at the club? I thought of 'coming out' and I need to know." She'd made actual quotation marks in the air and felt foolish about it. She'd thought about both coming outs these last few days but Debbie would only expect one kind.

"Oh, really? I thought you gals thought it was too 'old-fashioned' or... what's that word Blair loves to use?"

"Patriarchal?"

"No, the other one."

"Archaic?"

"That's the one."

"Well, she does think that and I'm not saying she's wrong but I thought it might be a nice thing... something to look back on. Just a fun night before we all grow up." Sterling drew her fingernail over the red and white checkered table cloth, not looking at her mother.

"I think that's a great idea. I'm honestly not sure what we're gonna do about the membership. To be honest, your daddy and I have been putting off making decisions. We need to, of course. I just wish... I wish Anderson would find something, find something that makes him happy, and... brings in money."

"Have you ever thought about... getting a job. I'm not..." Debbie tried to interrupt but Sterling talked over her. "I'm not trying to attack you, I just thought, well, Blair and I are practically adults and maybe there's something you'd like to do. Find something, have a career maybe."

Debbie seemed sad, for a moment she just sat and looked a little hurt. "I never thought... I never thought I needed to find a job, honey. I mean, I thought raising you kids would be enough."

"I'm not saying it to hurt you, mom," Sterling said. She stopped, however, as the waitress stepped up to the table and delivered the promised cutlery. When she was gone again, Sterling continued. "I just thought you might want to do something. You've got a degree and you're smart."

"Thank you, honey. I... You know I worked to get that degree. I was a... waitress." She stage whispered the last word like it was a source of shame for her.

"I didn't know that," Sterling said surprised.

Debbie nodded. "I hated it. Then I met Anderson and suddenly, everything got easier. I didn't need to try so hard anymore. Well, in the very beginning I lied about... where I came from but very soon I decided to be honest. About my family, my job. And he just... he swept me off my feet, made all the worries go away. He even got me a job with University administration through his dad's contacts. That was... not as taxing, it was rather boring."

Sterling smiled. She got to know a different side of Debbie's, a side she'd never thought she had. "There are other jobs out there. There are so many things you're good at," Sterling encouraged.

"Maybe I should pick up where you left off, bounty huntin'." Debbie laughed.

"I bet you'd be good at it," Sterling said and chuckled.

"Next thing you know we're a family of bounty hunters, bringing in high society tax frauds, embezzlers, and... the likes of John Stevens."

"You should probably start with the man himself," Sterling grumbled.

"Now that's not very nice, Sterling. I mean the man has... a challenging personality but he's still our neighbor if not a friend."

"He's..." but Sterling broke off, grinding her teeth together. What was she supposed to tell her mom? That on top of being the kind of guy who beat sex workers, he was a homophobe and kept his daughter from being herself? That if it wasn't for him she would have a girlfriend? "He's an ass," she finally settled.

"Sterling!" Debbie exclaimed, looking around to make sure nobody heard what Sterling had said. "Language!"

"Not where he's concerned," Sterling countered. "We brought him in, Blair and I. And he tried to hit us."

"He did?" Debbie asked, red spots appeared on her cheeks.

Sterling nodded.

"Well, I guess he's worse than I thought. I still don't like you using that kind of language, young lady."

Sterling looked at the tablecloth, her fingers drawing along the lines of the squares on it. She didn't look up at her mother, her mind had gone back to what Max had said about her relationship with April. That they were to keep each other safe, that she needed to determine if being April's friend was enough. Was it? she wondered. But there was no doubt that she'd rather be friends with April than go back to being nothing to her, or an enemy, a rival.

"Mom?" she found herself saying, it was almost a whisper.

"Yes, Sterling?"

Sterling looked up, sighed. "There's something..." She stopped herself, bit her lip.

"What is it, honey?" Debbie reached out her hand and lay it over Sterlings, stopped the movement of her finger.

"I think I'm... in love."

Her words completely surprised Debbie, she could see. Her mouth opened, her eyes were already impossibly big. "Honey," she breathed. "Is it Luke?"

It hurt just a little that Debbie still thought that, that she didn't have the slightest idea that Sterling's heart had made a very different journey since she broke up with him. But it was her fault, she hadn't confided in her family, she hadn't trusted.

"It's April Stevens," she said.

The arrival of the waitress pulled them both from the moment as she said, "May I?" She was nodding towards the hands that were holding each other across the table, just where she wanted to place the food she was carrying. Debbie pulled her hand away, so did Sterling and that was how they left it. They ate little, they talked less. And Sterling was left with the nagging conviction that she'd disappointed her mother yet again.


	2. Chapter 2

Blair pulled her foot up onto the couch while clicking through tv programs without settling. Her dad's entry at the terrace door pulled her from her daze.

"Hey, dad."

"Blair, I didn't know you were here. I was in the shed. What do you think?" He held up a wooden duck, the latest result of his whittling. It wasn't much different from his prior tries, a little better maybe.

"Looks great, dad."

"You watching something, or...?" He gestured at the tv set while he put the duck down at a side table.

"No, just..." She turned the tv off. "You hungry?"

"Well, yes. You gonna heat up the left-overs? I need to wash my hands." He held them up.

"Could we leave the left-overs for mom and Sterling and just order a pizza or something? I'm not really in the mood for meatloaf."

"You never are," Anderson said, chuckling. He went into the kitchen to wash his hands. "Sure, order pizza. Just make sure to order some of that bread they have. I love that bread."

"Will do. Pepperoni and olives for you?"

"You know it."

Blair ordered the pizza over her phone then went back to doom clicking through the programs. Anderson joined her on the couch.

"What's going on with you?" he asked after watching her for a few minutes.

"Nothing, just... bored, I guess."

"Usually, you're bored in your room. Not that I'm complaining, you can be bored anywhere you like. Just... is this about Sterling?"

"Not everything's about Sterling," Blair gave back without thinking. She blinked at the acidity of the statement, it hadn't been intended. She looked over at her dad.

"It's been a little... We're not handling it well, are we? We made it all about Sterling but you're... we lied to you too, I know, Blair. Honey, I'm sorry," he blabbed.

Blair shook her head and pulled back a little. She pushed herself into the corner of the couch, her knees up like a wall. She became aware of it and forced herself to sit cross-legged, a little more open.

"You haven't handled it... badly. And I know that this is about Sterling, she's the one... who's hurt, like, she's the one who's been adopted."

"But that doesn't mean that you don't have your own problems with this whole situation, right?"

Blair nodded. "I guess I'm selfish--"

"No, honey, you're not selfish. All this affected all of us, naturally, it affects you too. Do you wanna tell me?"

Blair shrugged. She looked down at her hands, afraid to look at her dad and find disapproval there. "It's been weird between Sterl and I. She's... she seems to feel like we're not... sisters anymore or something. But we are."

"Of course, you are. We adopted Sterling legally, she's--"

"That's not what I'm talking about. We're sisters, we're twins. We will always be twins, not because we were born by the same parents but because we're that close. You don't understand, you don't... well, you only got Uncle Deacon and he's... well, you know."

"Don't I?" Anderson said with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. "You're right, I don't know what it's like to be close to your sibling but Debbie... she told me how it's been for her with... with Dana, how they could practically hear each other's thoughts, how they would always stand up for each other and sometimes even stand in for one another." He smiled a little. Then turned back to Blair. "Like that?"

"Yeah, but... also, no. It's so much more."

Anderson nodded but Blair knew he could never understand. Debbie would maybe but Debbie was with Sterling right now.

"I guess I just feel a little left out," she said, not really wanting to continue in this line when her dad would never understand what she was talking about.

"Yeah, I do too."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I think it's a gender thing, you know? And the fact that I've been at work for so much. I mean we had our secrets and camping trips, and I think that's great. But... being a dad is often just about weekends. We miss a lot of things."

"I didn't know you felt that way? I always thought dads would be glad to be out of the house so much and miss all the drama. With boys and fights."

Anderson gave her a sad smile. "No. At least, I don't feel like that. I wish I could've been around for some of the drama, not just learning about the fall-out at dinner if it all."

"Maybe you should've been a stay-at-home dad," Blair said.

"Maybe."

They smiled at each other, both aware that it was now too late.

"You know, you could always have another baby once Sterl and I are off to college," Blair suggested.

Anderson's eyes went round. "No, I don't think... your mom would never."

Blair grinned.

"We've had our kids, and we've done a pretty good job... until recently."

"You did a good job," Blair agreed.

"You know, you can always come to me, right? Even if I'm in my shed. You can come and talk to me."

"Okay." Blair pulled at a loose denim cord in her jeans.

"Do you want to... like see a therapist yourself? I mean, you could, we just didn't think you... wanted to."

"Oh, I don't want to, no way. It's great for Sterling, she needs this right now. But I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, dad, I'm sure. I mean, I just talk to... anyone, really. Bowzer or Yolanda even. She gives great advice on men."

Anderson frowned.

"I mean... boys. I'm not dating men, she just knows a lot about them. I mean, not a lot a lot. Just regular a lot. She's an experienced woman."

"That's... great for her."

"I'm not dating anyone at the moment," Blair added because she felt she had to qualify her ramblings.

Anderson nodded. An awkward pause built between them.

"I kinda miss it, though," Blair mused.

"Dating?"

"Yeah, or just... kissing. Kissing is great."

"It sure is," Anderson agreed.

Blair smiled at him, feeling that they could still connect even while it made him uncomfortable. He had to acknowledge that their daughters were sexual beings, otherwise, he would just be one of those men who wanted to police women's bodies at every turn. And that wouldn't do for her dad, she decided.

"Do you think that therapy will help Sterl, like, really help? That she's gonna be like she used to?" The questions came out of nowhere even for Blair who'd asked them.

"I'm not sure that's possible, Blair. For any of us, really. We change all the time but this... it was a big... change."

Blair nodded. "I just want her back," she said.

"She's not gone, honey."

"A part of her seems, though."

Anderson reached out and took Blair's hand, squeezed it in silent sympathy. "Give her time."

"Yeah," she said but heaved a big sigh. "I'm not very patient."

Anderson chuckled. "I know."

The doorbell interrupted the moment and they both jumped.

"Pizza," Blair said rising.

"Wait, I'll give you money."

"I got it, dad," Blair said as she hurried toward the front door to get their food.


End file.
